Tag Archives: Voice

On Monday band canceled remaining U.S. tour dates, citing frontman’s ‘vocal issues and exhaustion.’ By James Montgomery The Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill Photo: Skip Bolen/ WireImage On the same day his band announced they were canceling the remainder of their U.S. tour due to his “vocal issues and exhaustion,” Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill was in New York, where he told a TMZ cameraman he was focused on healing. “I’m just trying to get better,” Followill said while walking with his wife, model Lily Aldridge . On Monday, the Kings of Leon scrapped their tour in the wake of a disastrous Dallas show during which Followill repeatedly complained about the heat and then abruptly left the stage after announcing to the crowd at the Gexa Energy Pavilion, “I’m gonna go backstage and I’m gonna vomit. I’m gonna drink a beer and I’m gonna come back out and play three more songs.” He never reappeared, leaving his bandmates to apologize to the audience. Following the show, KOL bassist Jared Followill took to Twitter to express his frustrations, writing, “There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. I can’t lie, there are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.” Initially, the band only postponed a Saturday-night show in Houston, but citing Followill’s health, they made the decision to cancel their remaining U.S. shows, saying in a statement, “The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break.” The Kings are scheduled to return to the road at the end of September, with a run of shows in Canada, but when asked about future touring plans by TMZ, Followill would only say, “I don’t know. … We’ll see how it goes.” The TMZ cameraman then asked Followill how he plans to heal his voice, to which he jokingly replied, “[I] try not to do interviews.” Related Artists Kings Of Leon

NBC is bringing back The Voice after Super Bowl XLVI on February 5. Following a successful first season of the singing competition won by Javier Colon , the network began plans for a second campaign almost immediately. Reports that it would follow NBC’s presentation of the Super Bowl surfaced last month. Now the Peacock has confirmed the season premiere schedule. With its entertaining interplay between four big-name judges, unusual format and array of talent, the program became a sleeper hit for NBC this spring. The Voice will air for one hour after the Super Bowl on February 5, 2012, then return for a two-hour episode the next night (Monday), according to EW . That will lead into the season premiere of the musical drama Smash .

Announcement came after Friday show was cut short when Followill abruptly left the stage. By James Montgomery Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill (file) Photo: Theo Wargo/ Getty Images The Kings of Leon were forced to bring a Friday-night show in Dallas to an abrupt end after frontman Caleb Followill complained of voice problems and then told the crowd at the Gexa Energy Pavilion, “I’m gonna go backstage and I’m gonna vomit. I’m gonna drink a beer and I’m gonna come back out and play three more songs.” Followill then left the stage and never returned, leading his bandmates to apologize to the crowd, saying, “Caleb’s just a little unfit to play the rest of the show. … It’s really not our fault, it’s Caleb.” Immediately following the incident, KOL bassist Jared Followill took to his Twitter account to further apologize and hinted at a growing strife within the band, writing, “There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed … I can’t lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.” In YouTube footage of the Friday show, Caleb Followill is seen engaging the crowd in several lengthy diatribes, urging them to help him sing the words because his voice was “100 percent gone,” and adding, “I’m gonna drink some beer and I’m gonna drink some tequila and I’m gonna have a f—ing good time.” He also made repeated references to the heat, saying, “Just for the record, I’m not drunk, I’m just f—ing hot. … I’m about to fall down over here, because I’m so daggum hot.” In the aftermath of the Dallas show, the band announced they were postponing a Saturday concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, claiming that Followill was suffering from “heat exhaustion and dehydration … [which caused] his vocal chords to seize.” The Houston show was rescheduled for September 22, and the band said they would return to Dallas on September 21 and that all tickets from the aborted show would be honored. “Kings of Leon apologize to their fans for any inconvenience this may have caused and look forward to seeing their fans again in September,” the statement concluded. There’s no word on whether the band’s Tuesday show in Tampa would go on as scheduled. A spokesperson for the band did not have any additional comment when contacted by MTV News. Related Artists Kings Of Leon

Sunday night’s Big Brother episode marked the first dramatic shift in the balance of power this season, which was long overdue and quite entertaining to watch. With a new sheriff in town, the aura of invincibility surrounding one of the super-couples evaporated. But this is Big Brother . Things can change in an instant. Who won HoH and who ended up on the block? What else went down in the house? THG breaks down last night’s BB episode in its +/- recap below … Daniele was under the gun after overplaying her hand big time last week, but she knew it and responded defiantly, declaring she needed to win Head of Household, then doing just that, seemingly with ease. That was bad ass. Plus 12 . Rachel cheering for everybody but Daniele (who laughed it off, as if she knew she would win all along) was petty, stupid and a bad omen for her. Minus 8 . Minus 4 for Brendon’s diss of Kalia (who’s now firmly on Team Dani). Jeff is still not over Daniele’s move last week, going so far to tell her that she hurt his feelings. Minus only 5 , because compared to Rachel, he’s logical. Kalia tries to mend fences with Rachel after Dani’s HoH win. Rachel takes this as Kalia trying to rub her face in … who knows. Minus 12 , though. Sadly, no note from Evel Dick in Daniele’s HoH room. Just awkward silence. Minus 5 . At least Lawon got his robe on up there, though. Plus 4 . Adam’s elf suit is startlingly creepy/awesome. Plus 7 . We finally got to know Lawon, who talked about coming out to his family, and said that he’s playing this game to be the voice of gays and lesbians, young or old, who feel like they can’t express themselves. Plus 25 . Minus 4 for Rachel’s attempt at jogging, but Plus 14 for the spill she took. Daniele smartly makes a deal with Jeff and Jordan, looking ahead to next week. Might as well try to mend that back-door fence as best she can. Plus 9 . Rachel: “I haven’t done anything to any of them to deserve this.” Minus 15 . Brendon and Rachel try, but fail to make their case to Daniele seem at all sincere. Jeff took it all too personally, but at least he plays it straight. Minus 8 . At least Brendon covered up those knee scabs at long last, though. Plus 2 . Daniele doubles down on her game move and nominates Brenchel. For that, she’s already the season’s MVP. At least someone had the balls. Plus 30 . If either half of Brenchel wins the veto, can Daniele’s plan hold up? Probably. She can put up a popular player in his or her stead (Jordan?) and likely ensure enough votes to evict her intended target. Plus 8 . EPISODE TOTAL: +50. SEASON TOTAL: +45.

Plus, Cee Lo Green says he had been hoping to duet with Winehouse this year. By Gil Kaufman Mark Ronson performs a tribute to Amy Winehouse in Greenwich on Wednesday Photo: Matt Kent/ Getty Images The day after attending his friend and musical foil Amy Winehouse’s funeral , producer/band leader Mark Ronson paid tribute to the fallen star at a concert on Wednesday night. According to NME.com , Ronson brought Zutons singer Dave McCabe onstage to play his band’s song “Valerie,” which was famously recorded by Winehouse on Ronson’s 2007 Versions covers album. Ronson, who produced the two most well-known tracks on Winehouse’s 2006 breakthrough Back to Black album, “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good,” dedicated “Valerie” to his troubled muse. “It’s really lovely getting to play some music here for you tonight. That’s what makes everything better,” he told the crowd at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, England. “I went to her service yesterday and there was a rabbi that spoke and he said that somebody’s life is measured in deeds and not years and that’s the best thing I heard yesterday. … The genius in that woman and what she shared with us is pretty special. I’m not going to get all morbid on you. It’s just nice to be playing music to people who like good music. She is my sister, wherever she is.” In addition to the version of “Valerie,” Ronson invited members of Winehouse’s backing band onto the stage at one point for another run through “Valerie,” as well as Rumble Strips singer Charlie Waller, who sang a cover of “Back to Black.” Ronson also played “Rehab” during a short DJ set in the middle of the show. Winehouse was found dead in her Camden apartment on Saturday at the age of 27. Initial autopsy results were inconclusive and additional toxicology tests are expected to take two to four weeks. Also on Wednesday, “The Voice” coach and “Forget You” singer Cee Lo Green revealed that despite reports earlier this year that he had recorded a duet with Winehouse for her next album, the two had never actually hooked up. Green told E! News the pair were trying to get together in the studio but never made it happen. “We were discussing working together … we have a mutual friend, Salaam Remi ,” he said of the producer who worked on several tracks on Back to Black . “There was a rumor that we had already recorded together. It wasn’t true and I don’t know where that came from. But we did grow fond of each other and thought we could work together. … I could listen to her and she registered to me as the real thing. … It’s so untimely and unfortunate. What a loss. Music has lost a daughter.” Related Videos Amy Winehouse Remembered Related Photos Amy Winehouse’s Friends And Family Attend Her Funeral Amy Winehouse: A Life In Photos Related Artists Mark Ronson Amy Winehouse

‘Before that came out, there was nothing else on the radio that sounded like it,’ producer told MTV Radio last year. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Sasha Hamrogue Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images Last year, when Mark Ronson was in New York doing press for his upcoming Record Collection album , he couldn’t avoid questions about Amy Winehouse and her long-in-the-works follow-up to 2006′s Back to Black album. But to his credit, Ronson happily answered each and every one and, in the process, had a moment to reflect on not only the success of Black, but on the rather seismic shift it created in pop music. Of course, in the wake of Winehouse’s death on Saturday, Ronson’s words took on newfound meaning. Because no matter how Winehouse is remembered , her music will always be her lasting legacy. “I am really proud of the sound of Amy’s record, and, it’s hard to remember, but before that came out, there was nothing else really on the radio that sounded like it,” Ronson told MTV Radio in August 2010. “And then it kind of influenced things and became quite regular to hear something that would sound like that. I don’t think there’s anything that was as good as it, or as raw as Amy’s vocals and her songs.” Ronson also spoke about how the duo planned on following up Back to Black, pointing to a then recent session he had just completed with Winehouse — a cover of Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” that appeared on Quincy Jones’ Q: Soul Bossa Nostra album — as a possible hint at things to come. And despite the fact that he had spent most of his time trying to distance himself from the crackling retro leanings of Black, he knew that, when he worked with Winehouse, the best way to proceed was to keep things simple. “If Amy’s record had sold 300,000 copies and mine had sold 100,000 as opposed to significantly more than that, we’d probably both be quite happy coasting along doing the same sound. … [A]nd that’s a sound that I’m genuinely fond of; but the fact that it did get so big sort of forced me to change it up,” he said. “But who knows, because Amy and I recorded a song quite recently for this Quincy Jones tribute record; we did a cover of Lesley Gore, and there was no point in dragging my Roland synths into an Amy Winehouse session. There’s a kind of production arrangement that supports her voice. … And after coming off my record, where the main edict was ‘No covers, no horns,’ to go back and cover a Lesley Gore song with the Dap-Kings and Amy felt like regressing a bit, but it wasn’t, because it just sounds good and that’s what she’s supposed to sound like.” Ronson also talked about the expectations Winehouse was facing with the follow-up to Black, expectations he thought were impossible to manage. And, in doing so, he struck a tone that seems eerily prescient in retrospect. “First of all, we’re in a situation where the record industry basically loses about 10 percent in sales every year, so she’s five years between records, and if you’re talking numbers-wise, then no, [she] probably [won't sell as many records],” he said. “But I still think she’s fully capable of writing another batch of brilliant songs and making a great record, and hopefully Salaam [Remi] and I will be involved in it because I think we all made a great record together last time. But you can never really count on anything being a given, so we’ll see.” Related Photos Amy Winehouse: A Life In Photos Related Artists Amy Winehouse Mark Ronson

Mark Ronson, Dap Kings and Mary J. Blige also weigh in on singer’s death at 27. By Gil Kaufman Amy Winehouse Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for NARAS As London police continued their inquest into the death of Amy Winehouse on Saturday, tributes to the troubled singer poured in from friends, admirers and perfect strangers in awe of a major talent gone too soon. From Russell Brand and Kelly Clarkson to longtime producer Mark Ronson, the condolence notes paid homage to the 27-year-old crooner’s prodigious gifts as well as her haunted soul and the demons that chased her for much of her public life. Click for photos of Amy Winehouse’s life and career. At press time, there was still no word on a cause of death, though an autopsy was planned for Monday according to reports. Shortly after Winehouse’s body was found in her London apartment on Saturday, officials said the death of the singer who long struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol was being treated as “unexplained,” though foul play was not suspected. One of the most touching and personal tributes to Amy Winehouse came from actor Russell Brand, who also famously struggled with substance abuse before finding sobriety in 2003. Brand wrote a lengthy post on Saturday in which he touched on the dangers of addiction and sadness over an artist he called a “genius.” See a Timeline of Winehouse’s Troubles Over the Years . “When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call,” he wrote of the dreaded ring in the night with bad news. “The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.”

National On October 10, 2010 (10.10.10), across the planet, documentary filmmakers, students and inspired citizens recorded the human experience over a 24-hour period and contributed their voice to the largest participatory media event in history. Everything you see in this video was shot on the same day. Help document the world’s history: www.onedayonearth.org . One Day on Earth – Motion Picture… Broadcasting platform : Vimeo Source : The Denver Egotist Discovery Date : 15/07/2011 23:31 Number of articles : 2

‘They’re like $80 million in the hole,’ Fif jokes to MTV News about Def Jam. By Rob Markman, with reporting by James Smith 50 Cent When 50 Cent signed G-Unit artists Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo over to EMI , the plan was to set up his longtime Queens, New York, cohorts as artists who could work independently, without his help. Fif told MTV News that Banks’ The Hunger for More 2, which was released last November, was the project that set the trend. “Banks’ project is the beginning of them flying solo, flying without my assistance so much,” 50 said on the Atlanta set of Tony Yayo’s upcoming “Haters” video. In the past, Fif lent his guidance as well as his voice to his artists’ albums. Back in 2004, the G-Unit General appeared alongside Banks on “On Fire,” the first single from the Punch Line King’s platinum debut. He did the same with Yayo’s first single, “So Seductive,” the following year. “Like on all their other albums and singles, I was featured on their projects to help bring attention to it and get ‘em off into the right space,” he said. “This go-around is, like, for them to go away from me and do it on their own. They’re setting up shop on their own on this project.” It’s been reported that Banks’ and Yayo’s EMI deal is structured much like an indie. Even though EMI is a major distributor, G-Unit has taken the reins when it comes to positioning both rappers in the marketplace. Even though 50 has championed G-Unit’s independence, speculation has swirled about whether Banks would sign to Def Jam where former G-Unit president Sha Money XL now resides as the Senior VP of A&R . 50, without saying it directly, shot down the notion of a Def Jam deal, citing the label’s supposed-financial woes. Recently, the legendary rap label has gone through a bit of restructuring with former head honcho L.A. Reid leaving and Barry Weiss stepping in as chairman and CEO. Regardless, Fif doesn’t seem too optimistic for a future at the label. “Well, Def Jam, I’m not even sure what that system — that system is not in a good space right now. They’re like $80 million in the hole,” he said, before laughing, “Don’t tell them I told you.” Related Artists 50 Cent Lloyd Banks